Lopi Republic trying to take off to the moon??

[HDRock]

Very good draft today stove was trying to take off

Outdoor Temp was 17, Wind was 15 to 23mph
Loaded it three quarters full with oak and ash uglys
Usually I don't turn the air all the way down, Today I had to, and I am glad I have a blower.
With the blower on medium it was keeping it down to 740 Stove top.
It was rolling for over an hour


I am still learning this EPA stove, With these colder temperatures and a great draft I am having to use the blower and Having to babysit the stove An hour and a half to two hours, Is this normal ??
Am I turning the air down to late, or something else??,

Is this a trait of this stove??

Door gasket is new and I have done the checks with dollar bill and smoke, so I don't think I have any leaks.
Didn't have this problem when it was 30 degrees out

 

[BrotherBart]

I figure on an hour from loading to going to bed just to make sure it is settled in. Sometimes it takes an hour and a half if I don't step it down right.

Start turning that pup down sooner. If you have flames you ain't gonna crap up the pipe. Let it go up from 400 after a half way our so turn down. Adjusting further as the temp moves up. That and don't pack it all the way up to the baffle. What lots of people mistake for secondary combustion is the top splits charing. And that can make one take off. But after it scares the hell out of you it drops like a rock after the splits up by the baffle finish charring.

.

 

[HDRock]

I figure on an hour from loading to going to bed just to make sure it is settled in. Sometimes it takes an hour and a half if I don't step it down right.

Start turning that pup down sooner. If you have flames you ain't gonna crap up the pipe. Let it go up from 400 after a half way our so turn down. Adjusting further as the temp moves up. That and don't pack it all the way up to the baffle. What lots of people mistake for secondary combustion is the top splits charing. And that can make one take off. But after it scares the hell out of you it drops like a rock after the splits up by the baffle finish charring.

.

I will Turn it down sooner then
.I usually go by the SW pipe temperature and Start turning it down at 300,which I guess would be 600 inside the pipe and Usually the tubes are All lit up bright orange.
You say let it go up from 400 is that stove top?

 

[begreen]

Try burning down the coal bed longer and reloading later.

 

[BrotherBart]

You say let it go up from 400 is that stove top?

Yep.

 

[eclecticcottage]

740? Ours runs up to 700/750 pretty often (the will drop back to 650/700 after about half an hour). No glowing top or anything. Lopis seem to like to run hot from what I've read. We've hit 800 a few times (prefer not to!). It'll do it on a light coal bed, with the air all the way in well before 400 top temps. The air intake is under the stove, you can stick aluminum foil into the front and back where there air sucks in to slow the roll.

 

[HDRock]

Yep.

So I should be turning it down some before the stove hits 400?

 

[lopiliberty]

Don't load uglys on a hot coal bed. All the space between them will cause the load to burn hotter. Been there done that!!

 

[HDRock]

Don't load uglys on a hot coal bed. All the space between them will cause the load to burn hotter. Been there done that!!

Yeah, I Realize now that is part of the problem I had today

 

[BrotherBart]

So I should be turning it down some before the stove hits 400?

Rack the coals to the front when the stove is under 400 stove top. Burn it full to 3/4 open until you get to 400 stove top and then close it down to half. Then adjust down in small steps from there. Let the secondary burn pick up nicely as the temp goes up. Don't blast it off trying to get "secondaries". All you are doing is blowing your heat up the pipe.

 

[HDRock]

740? Ours runs up to 700/750 pretty often (the will drop back to 650/700 after about half an hour). No glowing top or anything. Lopis seem to like to run hot from what I've read. We've hit 800 a few times (prefer not to!). It'll do it on a light coal bed, with the air all the way in well before 400 top temps. The air intake is under the stove, you can stick aluminum foil into the front and back where there air sucks in to slow the roll.

Where exactly are you talking about Sticking aluminum foil

 

[eclecticcottage]

Rack the coals to the front when the stove is under 400 stove top. Burn it full to 3/4 open until you get to 400 stove top and then close it down to half. Then adjust down in small steps from there. Let the secondary burn pick up nicely as the temp goes up. Don't blast it off trying to get "secondaries". All you are doing is blowing your heat up the pipe.

This, except...watch the fire as much as the top temp when closing it down. We burn a lot of pine so it takes off QUICK-we will usually have it below 1/2 open before 400. Oak might be different though. If you watch the fire and how it acts you'll get a handle on it.

And we push the coals to one side or the other. nothing like trying to tetris the wood in while it's catching fire and you have to reach over it to put a piece in.

One little thing we found, if the wood is close enough to the glass, the air wash will feed the flames and can help it get going more than you'd want.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Where exactly are you talking about Sticking aluminum foil

If you look up under the stove there's a rectangle shaped hole I'm guessing this is where the OAK would go if you had one). There is a gap in the front and another in the back, that's where we stuffed the foil and it seemed to slow it down fairly quick.

 

[BrotherBart]

Stepping back now. As I always admonish people to do I am gonna leave it with somebody burning the same stove to get ya dialed in.

 

[HDRock]

If you look up under the stove there's a rectangle shaped hole I'm guessing this is where the OAK would go if you had one). There is a gap in the front and another in the back, that's where we stuffed the foil and it seemed to slow it down fairly quick.

here are pics I took just after I installed the stove one is part way closed, one all open

 

[HDRock]

Ok this I just took of the back of the rectangle

 

[HDRock]

Don't blast it off trying to get "secondaries".

That's what I have been doing some times ,blasting off

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah people get convinced that they have to do that with a non-cat. It just ain't so. Build a nice fire in your wood stove and stay warm. Let those tubes up top do what they were designed to do. Pick off stray gases that escape the fire below.

I have the full night load settled after 30 minutes and there ain't a "secondary" in sight after the top splits charred. Just flames.

 

[HDRock]

,Pulled the coals forward, Loaded it up with just ash And eased up on it, instead of blasting off, That worked pretty good, It is still cruising at 680.
I think maybe the oak is causing some problems Because it has an inch or so of dry punk on the outside

 

[HDRock]

Thanks for the help
Almost the same exact conditions This morning, Outside temp 18 wind 14 to 22mph.
Loaded the stove up, Started dialing down sooner and Leveled off cruising at 650 ST, No blower needed

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I just loaded up on a cool stove and between the wind and the temps outside I was closing it down almost immediately. It was down to all of the way shut within 7 minutes or so.

 

[HDRock]

I just loaded up on a cool stove and between the wind and the temps outside I was closing it down almost immediately. It was down to all of the way shut within 7 minutes or so.

Yep I'm learning, With the old stove I could choke it down and put the fire out anytime I wanted to.
I have found that I have to be quick To dial down on reload

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I just smelled some hot metal and had to move another box fan in front of the stove. I put in large "all nighters" figuring they would burn slower, but they didn't. The stove was starting to cook the dust off the top. We all learn a little every load.

 

[HDRock]

I just smelled some hot metal and had to move another box fan in front of the stove. I put in large "all nighters" figuring they would burn slower, but they didn't. The stove was starting to cook the dust off the top. We all learn a little every load.

Yeah man every single load is a little bit different, And little things are a big deal with these stoves